Jamie passion and passionfruit!

Can’t quite figure out what all the fuss is about.  This new Argentine film had crowds snaking around the block when I went to see it and standing room only inside.  Quite frankly it is pretty boring – a risk when the movie’s subject is a ministerial bodyguard who stands around all day outside meeting rooms waiting for his boss to come out and go elsewhere.  There is a story but the plot and action is so minimalist that it makes for a slow deadly dull film as well and whether they would admit it or not, the people around me were wriggling pretty much as the minutes ticked on.  Sometimes life does not make for good art.

Good features:  Rodrigo Moreno directs with minute regard for detail and his care in selecting shots which make frequent use of reflections and half views is very good. The use of sound is also noteworthy.  I can’t decide if Julio Chavez’s performance is a great one or not.  Physically he certainly looks the part but the absence of most expressions and gestures make it difficult to handle the explosion when it comes.  I`ll probably give him the benefit of the doubt as he was no doubt following direction.  Much more I can’t say – it is like a very long drawn out vignette – a film of 20 minutes and it would have been excellent but the material and the approach alienated more than some of us.  Despite the critics’ praise I really wonder if this is great cinema or simply a careful academic work.

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